RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Long-lived rodents reveal signatures of positive selection in genes associated with lifespan and eusociality
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 191999
DO 10.1101/191999
A1 Sahm, Arne
A1 Bens, Martin
A1 Szafranski, Karol
A1 Holtze, Susanne
A1 Groth, Marco
A1 Görlach, Matthias
A1 Calkhoven, Cornelis
A1 Müller, Christine
A1 Schwab, Matthias
A1 Kestler, Hans A.
A1 Cellerino, Alessandro
A1 Burda, Hynek
A1 Hildebrandt, Thomas
A1 Dammann, Philip
A1 Platzer, Matthias
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/10/08/191999.abstract
AB The genetic mechanisms that determine lifespan are poorly understood. Most research has been done on short lived animals and it is unclear if these insights can be transferred to long-lived mammals like humans. Some African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) have life expectancies that are multiple times higher than similar sized and phylogenetically closely related rodents. We obtained genomic and transcriptomic data from 17 rodent species and systematically scanned eleven lineages associated with the evolution of longevity and eusociality for positively selected genes (PSGs). The set of 319 PSGs contains regulators of mTOR and is enriched in functional terms associated with (i) processes that are regulated by the mTOR pathway, e.g. translation, autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, (ii) the immune system and (iii) antioxidant defense. Analyzing gene expression of PSGs during aging in the long-lived naked mole-rat and up-regulation in the short-lived rat, we found a pattern fitting the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging.